


save the trouble (but you're already here)

by maridoll



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23311219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maridoll/pseuds/maridoll
Summary: sabo and ace don't talk anymore. it's been that way for over a year. but when luffy invites ace to stay with them over winter break, it comes with the added incentive to work things out -or else.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo
Comments: 19
Kudos: 63





	save the trouble (but you're already here)

**Author's Note:**

> i think its been long enough that i dont hate this as much anymore, so im gonna throw it up on here
> 
> quick story time ! this was for an op ss event on tumblr last/this year for [alpanmix](https://alpanmix.tumblr.com/) who you should definitely check out bc her art is amazing!! anyway i was in a few last year and got super busy and didnt finish this until mid-january. then i drew a bunch before winter break ended and both of those led to me re-straining my wrist. it healed up pretty well by mid-march, but i've been taking it easy since. that's why ive been absent here, hah.
> 
> anyway it took a while to finish this and by the time i was done editing i was sick of it, so i posted it and tagged it w the event tag only and let itself be buried in my blog. now that i've had time to consider it i realize i wrote 15k and i dont want it to be buried anymore, regardless of my overall feelings, so here we are
> 
> ~~pls go look at roo's art instead ha haaaaa haah~~

“Ace is coming back.”

Sabo’s fingers tighten around the corner of the blanket he held. He glances over at Luffy, who’s sat with the tabletop in his arms, waiting for the go ahead to place it atop the blanket. He looks, for all intents and purposes, rather calm. Like the news wasn’t out of the ordinary. Like he’d mentioned going out with his friends or needing something from the store. Like it wasn’t supposed to bother Sabo so bad.

Unfortunately, it does.

Sabo turns away before Luffy can look back at him. He goes back to straightening the blanket atop the low kotatsu table, keeping an eye on the cord that would later go into the wall. “Is that so?” he mutters before he can help it. Now he knows Luffy is looking at him, his eyes narrowed and lips pursed. He scowls in response. His hand waves out, gesturing to the miniscule space around them. “Where’s he even gonna stay, Luf? Not like our apartment is that big.” 

Luffy shrugs the best he can around the tabletop. He looks unbothered by the growl in Sabo’s voice. “We can figure it out when he gets here. My room is definitely too small to share, though.”

Sabo tugs too sharply on the blanket, sending it up off the floor on one side. He sighs and releases his hold, crawling over to the misaligned side to fix it. “He’s not sharing mine,” he says, voice firm. He looks over and Luffy flicks his eyes away, brows growing pinched. “Uh-huh,” he mumbles, seeing through Luffy’s intentions. 

“But Sa-”

“Just put him in your room. You can share mine.” He gives Luffy a pointed look. “Any problem with that?”

Luffy just sighs, his chin digging into the wood.

-

Luffy is the one to pick Ace up from the station. He’s the only one.

Ace resists a yawn as he moves further into the room, dragging along a suitcase that he releases in favor of steadying himself when Luffy jumps on him. It crashes to the ground as Luffy wraps his arms around his shoulders, and Ace only sighs and returns the hug in fervor. 

“I missed you,” Luffy says, and Ace forgives him for the heels digging into his side.

“It’s good to see you too.” He sets Luffy down after a minute, adjusting the bag on his shoulders. “Is it still snowing? I think I saw some on my way here.”

Luffy bobs his head. He reaches down to grab the handle to Ace’s luggage, pulling it along. “Yeah, started this morning.” He tugs on the scarf wrapped around his neck. “Sabo wouldn’t let me leave the house without at least this.”

“Ah.” Ace’s shoulders tense slightly at the mention of the name. “He’s not here?” he casually mentions, testing the waters.

“No.” Luffy sighs. “He’s at work. Didn’t even ask off.” He mutters the last part, but Ace still manages to catch it. “Don’t worry, though. You’ll see him later!”

“Right.” His eyes move to the side, catching the snow falling as they move outside. He reaches out a hand, letting some flakes fall into it. “He’s . . still not in school?”

“Not yet,” Luffy hums. “He wants to be, but . .” He hesitates. “Well. Money’s kinda tight right now.” A gust of wind has him dropping the topic in favor of grasping Ace’s arm, tugging him forward. “C’mon, it’s too cold to be standing around! Let’s go home already.”

Ace smiles, letting himself be pulled along. “Lead the way.”

-

Luffy drags all of Ace’s stuff into the bigger bedroom as he investigates the kotatsu set up in the main room. He doesn’t question this, figuring Luffy had won the room somehow. He tries to recall any conversation he’d had with his youngest brother that would support this, but comes up blank. Well, nothing to disprove it either, he supposed.

“Wanna try it?” Luffy says, startling him from his thoughts. Ace looks from him to the table, conveniently already plugged in, like someone had expected them to come in and use it. “We set it up last week,” Luffy mentions, pushing Ace forward until he was sat under it, sighing in appreciation as his skin met the heat.

“Feels nice,” he murmurs. Luffy scoots him over until they’re sat side-by-side, reaching for the bowl of mini oranges placed on the tabletop. Ace almost snorts at he catches sight of it. Typical Sabo.

He tips, leaning into Luffy’s side, and gets a questioning hum in response. “Tired,” he mumbles. “Think I’m gonna shower and get some sleep.”

Luffy sets the top half of the peel on the table and pops a piece of the fruit into his mouth. He’s on his second one before he answers Ace. “Okay. But tomorrow we’re doing stuff together!”

Ace huffs out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, sounds good.”

He disentangles himself from his brother easily enough, padding over to the bathroom and shutting the door. He’s shrugging off his shirt when the door suddenly opens, and he looks up as Luffy pokes his head in. 

“I forgot to mention,” he mumbles around his orange. “Make sure you turn the fan on or everything gets all wet.” He moves a hand to tap above the second switch near the sink. “Sabo says the room’s too small or something, I don’t really remember. But he gets super mad when I forget to leave it on, so-” He waves his hand and Ace catches on, nodding.

“Got it. Thanks.”

Luffy smiles at him before leaving. Ace leaves all his clothes in a pile on the floor and investigates the room as the water heats up. Luffy was right. It was small. It probably didn’t have good ventilation, which was why the steam lingered and soaked everything.

Ah, that was right. Ace breathes out a sigh and flips on the fan switch. He grabs a towel from the cabinet and drops it to the floor, then steps under the warm spray.

He hums. Definitely felt better than the kotatsu. He’d been travelling all day, so this . . yeah, it felt really nice.

He reaches back blindly for a bottle of soap and flips one open only to be met with an overwhelming citrus scent. Ace blinks, looking down and slowly closing the bottle. He turns to see a different one on the ledge and picks that up instead, sure that Luffy wouldn’t mind him using his.

It’s cold enough in the house that he feels bare with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He leaves the fan on and flips the light off, moving to the bedroom and waving to Luffy as he went. This room is a little warmer, but he’s still pulling on sweats before collapsing on the bed, no energy to even slip under the sheets. He moves a loose blanket over him instead, content enough with the warmth it provided. He knew Luffy was built like a furnace, and managed to wrap himself around whoever was closest when he slept. 

He sleeps for long enough that it’s dark when he opens his eyes, the door opening waking him. A sharp inhale has him glancing up, Luffy’s name on his tongue, but fading as he catches sight of who’s in the doorway.

Ace is suddenly much more awake. “This isn’t Luffy’s room, is it?”

“No,” Sabo mutters, voice curt. He still hasn’t moved. He doesn’t say anything else.

Ace sighs and lifts himself up, rolling out of bed. “Okay. I’ll go sleep on the couch.”

Sabo moves his arm away from the door, letting him pass. He keeps his gaze forward, not looking at Ace, not giving him any sort of reaction. 

He’s barely out the door before Sabo’s closed it on him. Ace breathes out another sigh. He’s still tired enough that the cold out here doesn’t bother him, and he’s asleep before he knows it.

-

Luffy barges into Sabo’s room too early the next morning. He slams the door open with such force that it bounces off the opposite wall, and Sabo opens his eyes into slits at the noise, awake and already very annoyed. 

“Why is Ace on the couch?” Luffy yells, stepping further into the room. Sabo huffs out a breath and just barely resists the urge to bury his head back under the blankets. 

“His choice,” he mutters.

“Bullshit,” Luffy snaps. He comes close enough that Sabo can’t see his face, having no desire to look up and meet his scowl. He does see his hands, though, as they slam down on the matress in front of him. “You could’ve told him to stay. What the hell is your problem?”

Sabo grits his teeth. “ _My_ problem, huh?” he mutters. He tips his face up to match Luffy’s glare. “Don’t act like you care. What, he come crying to you?”

“No. He’s still asleep! I just found him in there!”

“Then it’s fine-”

“It’s _not_ fine, what if he gets sick? He doesn’t even have a blanket!”

“Stop yelling at me!” Sabo snaps. “If you really cared, you would’ve put him in your room and just stayed in mine! It’s not my fault!” He tugs the blanket sharply over his head, keeping his voice loud enough that he’s still heard over it. “It’s too early for this! Go away.”

Luffy slouches, knowing Sabo’s tone was final. “At least hang out with us today,” he tries.

“I have work,” Sabo grumbles. He doesn’t say anything else.

“Fine,” Luffy mutters. He tugs Sabo’s door closed before he leaves, trying not to think about the dent in the wall he’d get yelled at for later. 

When he moves back to the living room, Ace is sitting up on the couch. Luffy winces. Guess he could’ve been quieter, all things considering.

“Everything okay?” Ace asks. 

“You heard?” Luffy asks in turn.

“I guess.”

Luffy huffs, crossing his arms. “Wait here.”

Ace blinks, but doesn’t question as Luffy darts back the way he’d come. He does raise his brow at the noise that echoes back to him. “Luffy-!” Sabo growls, but it’s cut off by the door closing, and then Luffy reappears with a big blanket in his arms.

“Here, take this,” he says, shoving it at Ace. “He’ll be gone in a couple hours, and then we can do whatever.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Ace mutters. “Wake me when the sun’s out, okay?”

“Fine.” Luffy moves past him, to the kitchen. “I only came out for water anyways.”

It’s significantly warmer with the blanket. Ace falls back asleep, but he’s startled awake again as a blur moves past and the kitchen light blinks on. He lifts his head a little to see Sabo wrapping a scarf haphazardly around his neck, pulling open a cupboard and leaving it open in his haste after taking something. “Shit, _shit_ ,” he mutters, rounding the counter, stuffing his arms into a thick jacket. Ace hears shuffling as he pulls on shoes, and then the front door is opened and closed in a hurry.

He still can’t see the sun, so he goes back to sleep.

-

“Why do you keep it so cold in here anyway?” Ace asks, squirming further under the kotatsu. Luffy glances away from his tablet screen for a moment, and he’s chewing on his lip when he turns back. “What, is it a secret? Are you hiding a body?”

Luffy snorts, elbowing him in the gut. “ _No_. It’s just. Uh. Well, having the heater on gets expensive.”

Ace raises a brow. “It’s supposed to. It’s _winter_. Your other alternative is freezing all the time. You’re meant to be warmer inside a building than outside of one.”

“It’s not colder than outside!” Luffy defends. Fair point. It was snowing.

“You really can’t afford it?” Ace tries. 

“It’s not that.” Luffy sets his tablet down. “We just spend less this way. Save up more.”

Ace’s eyes narrow. “You mean _Sabo_ saves up more.”

Luffy shrugs. “Yeah, so?”

“Luf, you can’t let him do this,” Ace argues. “This is your health we’re taking about here. He can save money some other way, one that doesn’t sacrifice your wellbeing-”

 _“Sabo takes care of me!”_ Luffy shouts. He quiets down, a flash of regret in his eyes, but he doesn’t apologize. “Look, you’ve never been here before. You don’t know how we do things.”

Ace leans back against the couch. He eyes the snow falling out the window. “Go turn the temp up,” he finally says, voice low.

Luffy looks up, eyes wide, but Ace continues before he can be countered. “Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll take care of it.” He holds up a hand. “I’m gonna be here a while, okay? It’s the least I can do.”

Luffy purses his lips. “I should ask Sabo.”

“I’ll tell him.” He glances away as Luffy’s expression turns hard. “I will, alright? Promise. Just go do it.”

Luffy stands after another moment, passing him the tablet. “You pick the movie,” he mutters. Then he moves over to the thermostat situated in the hallway. “You should call him after we get out. He’ll freak if he comes back and sees it like this.”

Ace picks the closest time and types in his credit card number from memory. Luffy comes back over as he finishes paying and plucks the tablet from his hands.

“Perfect!” He grins. “You’re paying for popcorn, by the way.”

Ace shrugs. “Sure.” He wiggles out from underneath the table, stretching. “We’ll have to leave soon if we wanna make it on time.”

“Right, Sabo took the car.” Luffy sighs, casting a forlorn glance out the window. “I wonder if he’d let us borrow it,” he mumbles.

“Don’t bother him. We can walk. It’s not _that_ far.”

“Whatever. I’ll just steal one of his scarves.” Luffy moves to put his tablet up and Ace steals into Sabo’s room to get dressed in warmer clothes. Luffy comes in not too long after and rummages through the drawers until he pulls out a thicker wool scarf, winding it around his neck. “You want one?” he asks, and Ace’s lips quirk up.

“Nah, I’m okay.” He’s not sure it would be appreciated. Scratch that, it _definitely_ wouldn’t. He was already taking a gamble today, too, best to keep his chances high.

His phone chimes just as they’re leaving, and he reads the message twice before pocketing it. 

“What was that?” Luffy asks.

“I’m visiting a friend tomorrow,” he hedges. “I might come back with a surprise.”

“Really? Which friend? I’d know them, right?”

“If I told you that, it might ruin the surprise.” He laughs at Luffy’s put-off expression. “Well, you’ll see.”

-

Sabo pulls himself through the doorway and breathes out a sigh, eyes falling shut in content as he’s met with the warmth.

Then they snap open and his posture goes rigid as he realizes it’s _warm_ and it’s not supposed to be-

He slips his shoes off and moves quickly to the hallway, breath halting as he catches sight at what it’s set to. His shoulders go slack, mouth falling open, and he lets himself have a single, unfiltered moment of panic before his gaze snaps to Luffy’s room.

No, no. Before that, he had to turn it back. He reaches out for the meter, sighing in thinly veiled annoyance, and flinches hard when his wrist is caught in midair.

Sabo turns to his left and wrenches his hand back, snarling. “ _What?”_ he snaps.

“Don’t change it,” Ace says, voice firm. Sabo’s eyebrows rise to his hairline.

“It wasn’t Luffy,” he mutters. “It was you.”

“It was Luffy,” Ace admits. “But I told him to.”

_“Why?”_

“Because you shouldn’t be putting your health at risk like that.” Ace’s voice is so _calm_ it’s irritating. “Also, I told him I’d pay for it.”

Sabo falters. “Wha-Why?”

“I’m staying here? And I’d rather not freeze to death while I do.”

The words have barely left Ace’s mouth when Sabo’s expression regains its earlier heat, and then he’s stabbing a finger into Ace’s chest, making him wince. “You _don’t_ live here,” Sabo tells him, words tight and emotion barely contained. He lets it boil over in his next sentence. “You don’t get to barge in and make all the decisions like you’re the one in charge! The _only_ reason you’re even here is because Luffy let me know you were coming too late to do anything about it. It doesn’t matter and I _don’t care_ how long you stay, you will _not_ go over my head like this again.” Sabo drops his finger but he’s still glaring at Ace. He holds it for another beat before reaching for the thermostat again. 

Ace scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. “Since when did you become such a scrimp with money?”

“You’re the one who caused it,” Sabo mutters, turning the dial back down, but leaving it a couple digits higher than it had been. 

Ace’s head snaps back toward him. “You’re still _on_ about that?”

“Yeah, I am.” Sabo glares at him again but turns away with a huff before he can start yelling. Again. “Where the hell is Luffy?” he whispers, mostly to himself, words harsh.

“Out with some friends,” Ace answers. 

“Of course.” Sabo rolls his eyes and pads back out into the living room. “ _Don’t_ follow me,” he tosses back to Ace, moving to his room and shutting the door with more force than necessary.

-

Luffy catches him on his way out the door, just about to come in from the cold, and Sabo spares him a minute after glancing at the time.

“Did Ace talk to you?”

Sabo’s lips quirk down. “Yeah, I guess. Don’t let him do that again.”

Luffy deflates. “Oh. Sorry, he said he’d pay for it, so I thought it would be okay.”

Sabo huffs, crossing his arms. “He’s just trying to take control.”

“I think he’s just worried, actually.” Luffy points to the sky as Sabo’s brow raises. “Look, it’s snowing again.” Luffy sighs and reaches out to flip up Sabo’s hood. “It has been kinda cold lately,” he admits.

Sabo takes Luffy’s hands from his hood into his own, rubbing his thumbs over Luffy’s gloveless ones. “It it was too much, you should’ve told me. I thought that’s why we set the kotatsu up.”

“But you’ve been doing so much better lately,” Luffy counters. “I didn’t wanna mess that up!”

Sabo lets out a sigh, dropping Luffy’s hands. “You can turn it to 75. Don’t go higher than that.” He pauses for a moment. “If Ace wants to pay for it, let him.” His phone buzzes and he jumps, quickly switching places with Luffy. “I gotta go, okay? I’ll be back later.”

“We’re still getting stuff for nabe tomorrow, right?”

“I’m off in the morning. We can do it then?”

“Yeah!” Luffy reaches back and opens up the door. “I’ll see you later!”

Sabo waves at him one last time before climbing into the car. It peels away from the driveway before Luffy can shuffle inside and take off his shoes.

-

“I wouldn’t mess with that.”

Luffy pipes up as he spots Ace. He waves him off. “Sabo said it was okay. Just not too much.”

Ace’s eyes narrow. “At least he submits to someone,” he mutters. “Where is he, anyway?”

“Left.” Luffy shrugs at Ace’s questioning gaze. “You didn’t hear the door? He’s at his second job.”

“Thought it was you.” Ace scoffs as the words process. “He has _two_ jobs and yet he can’t afford to keep the house warm?”

Luffy frowns. “It’s about more than just that,” he defends. Ace turns to look at him.

“Like what?”

“You’ll have to let Sabo tell you.”

Ace grumbles, turning away. “Yeah right. Like he’d tell me anything.”

“You talked today, didn’t you?”

“We . .” Ace hesitates, frowns. “We only yelled at each other.”

“That’s still talking,” Luffy notes. “Just give it some time. Sabo will get over it.” He perks up. “We’re getting stuff for nabe in the morning. Wanna come?”

“Ah.” Ace waves him off. “That’s when I’m meeting my friend. I’ll be back in the afternoon.”

“Oh, okay.” Luffy’s frown quickly morphs into a barely-contained grin, teeth poking out from between his lips. “Does that mean you’ll have the surprise by then?!”

“Yeah, guess it does.” Ace is grinning now, too. “Just wait a little longer, little brother. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

-

Sabo wakes to the sound of Luffy shouting his name, blearily opening his eyes, and clenches his arms tighter around his pillow when the teen dogpiles him.

“Luffy,” he says around clenched teeth, and Luffy begrudgingly slides off of him, landing in a heap on the other side of the bed -the _empty_ side, he notes.

“Sorry,” Luffy says, not sorry at all. “But you didn’t answer.”

Sabo turns over to face him properly, face still partially hidden by the blankets. “You didn’t give me a chance.” Luffy shrugs and he sighs. “Well? What is it?”

“We’re still going shopping, right? Ace is out, so we should go now!”

Oh. Sabo blinks. “Where?”

“Where’s Ace?” Luffy tips his head, a little surprised Sabo cared. “Out with a friend.”

“Which one?”

“Wouldn’t tell me. Said it would ruin the surprise.”

Sabo releases his hold on the pillow and debates sitting up. “We have to go now?” He resists a yawn.

“I mean, it’s past ten, so you should probably get up.” Sabo’s expression gains a little more light as he takes this in, and Luffy leans closer. “What time did you get home last night?”

“A little after eleven,” Sabo admits. 

“Yeah, you should get up,” Luffy repeats. Sabo’s already working himself into a sitting position, stretching his arms over his head when he accomplishes this.

“Okay,” he murmurs, swinging his legs over the bed. “Give me ten minutes.”

“It’s snowing again,” Luffy calls as Sabo throws himself into a cold shower. It properly wakes him up, but after dressing warm for the weather, he finds the more heated atmosphere of the apartment making him tired again.

He really feels like going back to sleep.

Luffy drags him outside, drags him to the car, drags him to the store. It’s not until they’ve entered the building does he attempt to respond to any of the teen’s conversation, and even then, it’s to cut him off.

“We’re not pulling a _whole salmon_ in the nabe, Luffy, it’s too big.” He turns away from Luffy’s pout, staying firm on his decision. “Unless that’s the only meat you want in there.”

“No!” Luffy gasps. “I still want clams! And pork! And chicken! And scallops! And beef! And-”

“Three types of meat,” Sabo says, holding up three fingers. “That’s your limit.”

Luffy blows his cheeks out. “Do dumplings count?” he finally asks.

Sabo resists the sigh at the edge of his lips. “Are you going to make them?”

“Sabo!” Luffy whines. “You know I can’t! Please!”

Sabo, unfortunately, makes the mistake of looking over at his brother. He winces at the look Luffy gives him, feeling his resistance melt. “We should have flour at home,” he mutters, and Luffy cheers.

“Let’s do pork dumplings. We can do the broth with the chicken, and then the clams-”

“In the same broth?” Sabo questions, an edge of disgust in his tone.

“ _Yes_ in the same broth!” Luffy announces. “And then the salmon-”

“You’re still on about that?”

Luffy gives him another look and Sabo can’t believe he falls for it twice. They’re actually at the fish section and he gives completely after seeing the sale price. “Fine. We can do a _third_ of it. Then we can have the rest another night.”

Luffy blinks over at him as he accepts the wrapped seafood and sets it in the cart. “You’re gonna cook again?”

“Probably not,” he sighs. “I’ll marinate it, though, so you can just throw it in the oven.”

Luffy makes a face. “I’m not good at that.”

“Have Ace help you.”

“Sabo. It’s Ace.”

“Point taken.” He sighs. “I’ll make it simple. A third of the salmon in the nabe. That’s it.”

“Fine,” Luffy whines, dragging the word out.

“This is all your meat,” Sabo tells him, putting the pork in their cart. “What else?”

“Potatoes!” They’re actually not far from that section of the store, so it’s short work to grab some. Sabo walks them back to the produce section. “Mushrooms,” Luffy announces, and Sabo makes a face. “You don’t have to eat them,” Luffy throws over his shoulder, and Sabo slumps against the cart at his statement, sourly watching him pick some out.

“We need chili peppers for the broth,” Sabo reminds him, and Luffy zips off to grab some. He returns to find Sabo sorting through the radishes. Sabo rolls his eyes at the look Luffy gives him. “You don’t have to eat them,” he mimics, swiping at Luffy’s hand as he reaches in to take the vegetable out.

“They ruin the flavor!” Luffy argues, trying again. His hand comes away red.

“They literally do not,” Sabo counters. “What else? Do you want noodles?”

Luffy hums, thinking on it for a minute. “Nah, we can just use the rice we have at home. Let’s get snow peas!”

“Those will fall apart. Get green beans instead.”

“Carrots!”

“Sure.”

“Can we get seaweed?”

“Go for it.”

“Oh! Baby corn!”

“That’s fine.”

“Can’t be nabe without cabbage!”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Let’s get squash too!”

Sabo stops him from moving forward after depositing the vegetable into their cart. “Luffy, I know produce is dirt cheap right now, but I am begging you to stop. My wallet is begging you.”

Thankfully, Luffy gives in without much trouble. Sabo lets him throw in one more green before they move away. His head spins as he glances over all their ingredients. “This is going to be . . a mess,” he mumbles.

Luffy only chuckles beside him. Sabo resists the urge to kick him. “What kind of sauce?”

“Sesame sauce!”

Sabo raises a brow. “I thought you liked sesame butter better.”

“I do, but not when you make it.”

Sabo stops the cart, looking affronted. “What’s wrong with how I make it?”

“Makino’s is better.”

“Makino is _literally_ the one who taught me to make it.”

“It tastes different,” Luffy argues. Sabo sighs, jerking the cart into motion again.

“Fine. We’ll make sesame _sauce_. I should have enough egg at home.” He risks a glance at Luffy and sighs again. “Go get the oil. I’ll get the vinegar. Meet me at checkout, and _don’t_ get anything else.”

Luffy salutes him and goes running off. He comes back with more than sunflower oil, because it’s _Luffy_ , but Sabo forgives him, knowing they haven’t bought any snacks in a while. Now that he was out of school for winter break, too, Sabo should’ve suspected he’d be snacking more. 

“Hey. Have Ace bring you here sometime this week. Pick up a few things to have around the house.”

Luffy stops the cart just short of the car, looking over to Sabo. “And spend his money?”

“Why not?” Sabo shrugs, pulling the cart the rest of the way and beginning to shove the bags in. “He has it, right? Plus, he’s staying with us. It’s the least he can do.”

“He’s staying with us because he’s family, and it’s been a full year since we last saw him.” Sabo doesn’t turn back to Luffy, knowing he wouldn’t like the boy’s expression. He continues to load the bags. Luffy doesn’t stop. “We’re not taking advantage of him. Or his money.”

“Consider it rent.” Sabo shrugs. “If you really want,” he continues, before Luffy can get mad, “think of it as him buying his own food. And being nice to you. He has to eat something, right? Plus, we’re sharing this with him.” He gestures to the bags.

Oh. Luffy didn’t think of that. He helps Sabo put the last of the stuff into the car. He hadn’t thought Sabo was . . willing to share, but now that he thought about it, that was the path of least resistance. Still, he hadn’t expected-

His phone vibrating cuts off his train of thought. He takes it out of his pocket as Sabo closes the trunk.

“What is it?” Sabo asks, taking note of the growing excitement on Luffy’s face.

“Ace is back! We have to get home right now!”

Sabo raises a brow, holding up his keys. “Where else would we go with all this?”

Luffy ignores him. “I can’t _wait_ to see the surprise!” He types out a reply to Ace and pulls on his seatbelt at Sabo’s chiding. 

-

Sabo feels his jaw drop as he pulls into their small driveway. Ace is waiting for them.

So is Eustass Kidd’s motorbike.

Luffy screeches and wrenches the car door open, tumbling out with another shout. Sabo turns the engine off and sits there, watching Luffy fawn over the bike. Well, that explained who Ace went to go see. Still. To think Kidd actually parted with the thing.

“-said I could borrow it for a few, while he tests out the new model Wire is trying to pawn out to him,” Ace tells Luffy as Sabo climbs out from the car. Ah. That answered that question. The only thing better than a motorcycle was a _new_ motorcycle, in Kidd’s eyes. Ace glances up and Sabo ducks out of his view, wondering how long it had been since he’d seen the redhead himself. Maybe he’d come by to check on his bike and he and Sabo could catch up.

“Can I ride it?” Luffy asks, and Sabo hears the smirk in Ace’s voice.

“‘Course. That’s why it was a surprise.”

“Come help me unload,” Sabo says, before that particular conversation could continue and leave him stranded with all the groceries. He says it for Luffy, but Ace leans off the bike to come and grab a few bags as well. Sabo doesn’t feel like thanking him, so he moves around them both to unlock and kick the door open, trusting one of them to shut it.

“-thinking we could cruise around for a bit, while it’s stopped snowing,” Ace is saying when him and Luffy walk into the kitchen. Sabo frowns and opens the freezer so he’d have an excuse to be turned around. 

“That sounds great! Hey, Sabo, you should come too!”

Sabo’s shoulders tense before he can help it. All the meat’s in the freezer drawer, so he shuts it and comes to a stand. “I’ll pass,” he murmurs, looking to the oven clock. “I need a nap.”

“Oh.” Luffy deflates a little, but he doesn’t protest. “Okay. What time do you go in?”

“Four.”

“I can wake you around three?”

Sabo waves him off, already walking away. “Don’t worry about it. Go have fun. Be safe and all that.”

“Right. Thanks,” Luffy says. Ace doesn’t say anything.

-

“Helmet.” Ace shoves it into Luffy’s hands before he can climb on the bike. “Don’t give me that look! I brought an extra for a reason. See? I’m wearing one too. Now put it on.”

Luffy huffs but ultimately shoves the helmet over his head, cheeks puffing back out at the way it muses his hair. He flips up the visor as he situates himself behind Ace. “Don’t see _why_ I need this. Don’t you have experience with these?”

“I drove it over here.”

Luffy flips down the visor and grabs tight to Ace’s middle without another word. Ace laughs. “It’ll be fine! Kidd wouldn’t have leant it to me if I didn’t know what I was doing,” he throws over his shoulder, revving the engine.

“Where are we going?” Luffy asks, growing rigid despite all his initial excitement as they pull onto the road.

Ace shrugs. “Wherever. You wanna go somewhere?”

“Let’s go see Nami!” Luffy perks up, hooking his head over Ace’s shoulder. “I wanna show this off.”

“Of course you do.” Ace laughs and his hands tighten on the handlebars just as Luffy audibly gulps near his ear, the turn they just took maybe a tad too sharp. “They still live out on the farm?”

“The very same.”

“Right.” Ace leans forward. “Highway it is, then,” he says, voice overly cheery. Luffy’s head rockets up.

“Wait-” he begins, but cuts off into a scream when Ace floors it, leading them on the access road. 

His fear is short-lived, though, and not even halfway there he’s right back in Ace’s space, hand outstretched to point out where Ace can move to weave between traffic. They make it out to country roads in under half an hour and speed down the empty strip, pushing ninety. Ace has to stop Luffy from tossing both arms in the air like he was on a rollercoaster several times, and learns very quickly how to manage steering with one hand.

They pull up to the tangerine farm only to find Bellemere waiting for them, smoking under the relative shelter of an awning with her head tucked underneath one arm, and looking like she was barely resisting ripping the heavy coat off her thin frame.

Ace slides to a stop in the drive, one foot on the ground and just turning off the engine when Luffy jumps off and runs up the slope, waving his arms and loudly calling the redhead’s name. Bellemere grins in response, shuffling the cigarette to speak around it.

“That’s new,” she notes, nodding to the bike as she sets a heavy hand on Luffy’s head, ruffling his hair. “Could hear you coming up. Was wondering who was making all the racket.”

Ace bites out a laugh, managing to hook his helmet on one of the handles before moving towards the two. “I’ve never been very subtle.”

Bellemere snorts and finally drops her hand as Luffy pushes away from it. “Understatement. How’ve you been, kid? I mean, obviously well, if you can afford that, but like, generally.”

“It’s a friend’s, actually.” Her brows raise. “I’m just borrowing it while I’m in the city.” Ace shrugs. “I’ve been fine. Work is . . a lot. But I’m off for a while. Hopefully when I go back, I’ll have been away for long enough to miss it.” He ends by shoving his hands into his pockets, the cold finally catching up with him. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Bellemere, who stubs out her cigarette and comes to a stand.

“Come inside,” she insists. “I’m sure you’ve come all the way out here for something, but I’ll let the girls sort it out.” They move along on the stone path leading to the porch, and she swings the front door open for them but doesn’t follow them in, closing it shut behind them instead.

“Hey, mom?” Ace blinks at the familiar voice, and blinks again as Nami rounds the corner, her orange locks bouncing near her shoulders, decidedly longer than the last Ace had seen. She cuts herself off when she catches sight of the boys. “Oh. You’re not-”

“Nami!” Luffy interrupts. “Guess what?” Nami blinks, caught off-guard by his shouting, and before she can guess Luffy’s grabbed her by the wrist and is tugging her back outside. Ace turns his head to watch, but a new voice stops him from following.

“Hey Portgas. Been a while.”

He throws his head over his shoulder, beaming. “Nojiko!”

Nojiko finishes descending the stairs, stepping into Ace’s hug. “What brings you all the way out here? Thought you lived somewhere else now.”

“Vacation,” Ace hedges. “Here, specifically, though -Luffy wanted to show off the bike.”

Nojiko cocks a brow and Ace clarifies. “Kidd’s.”

Her expression turns sour. “He’s not here, is he?”

Ace laughs, glancing away. “No. The bike’s on loan.”

“Good,” she mumbles, crossing her arms. “Where-” She cuts herself off, turning to fix him with a cursory look. Ace holds it, but she must find what she’s looking for, because her eyes narrow. “Sabo’s not here,” she guesses. Ace huffs in lieu of a reply, only confirming her suspicions. “You’re not speaking to him.”

“Would you blame me?”

“I’m not answering that.” Nojiko slouches in place as the front door opens back up, bringing a wave of chill into the house. “That’s like asking me to choose between my friends.”

A moment of silence follows her words before the door closes shut and the tension cuts. “We were making cider,” Nami announces, tugging at the scarf around her neck. Luffy’s eyes widen and she smirks, eyes darting between him trailing at her heels, and Ace and Nojiko, still in the living room. “If you’re staying for a little, come have some.”

Ace thinks back on his cold fingers and nods, following them into the kitchen. Bellemere comes back in after a while, and the five pass the afternoon leisurely, sitting around the dining table surrounded by tall windows that reveal the snow coming down, keeping the container of cider in a precarious state of half-empty and their mugs half-full. They talk and drink and shuffle around some dominoes, falling into old habits. Luffy convinces Nami to make him more cider, over the break, and she promises to bring by a sizeable carafe sometime. 

They leave around three, while there’s a break in the snow. Nojiko pulls him aside beforehand, depositing a pair of black gloves into his hands. She waves off his questioning look.

“They were Praline’s. She gave them to me once, and I never got around to giving them back.” She shrugs. “You’ll find better use out of them.”

Ace glances down at them. “My hands are bigger than yours,” he notes. Nojiko snorts.

“Yeah, so are hers. Just try them on.” 

He does, mildly surprised they fit rather well. She’s already stepping away, something else in her grip, and Ace blinks up to find her approaching Luffy.

“These are for Sabo,” she tells him. Luffy glances at the bag before stowing it away inside his jacket.

“Thanks!” he says, grinning up at her. “I’ll make sure he gets them.”

He does, but only just. Sabo is shrugging into a coat when they make it back to the apartment, one eye on his phone. He barely looks up as they come in. 

“Sabo, it was amazing!” Luffy gushes. He runs up to swing the blond into a hug and is only stopped by a palm pressing into his forehead, keeping him at bay. It does nothing to deter the wide smile on his face. “You really should’ve come, we had so much fun!”

“That’s good,” Sabo says, words a little absent. He pockets the phone and moves around Luffy. “I gotta go.”

“Oh, Nojiko gave you these!” Luffy pulls out the plastic bag and Sabo turns his head to glance back at it.

“Just put ‘em in my room,” he calls, already opening the door. “Bye.”

Luffy drops the bag in his grip and pauses on his way to the hall, catching Ace’s eye. “They’re scent melts,” he announces, brandishing a new smile instead of a bag, and he raises his voice as he moves out of the living room. “She handmakes them, so they’re mostly tangerine scented. There’s probably some spice, I haven’t been able to figure out what.” He moves back into the main room after tossing the bag into Sabo’s bedroom, an orange square in his palm. “We can’t have candles anymore, so we use these instead.” 

Ace gives him a look and Luffy suddenly avoids his gaze, reaching out to plug the scent melter into the wall after setting it atop the kotatsu. “This is less of a fire hazard,” he reveals, but nothing more. By that point the wax melt’s scent has intrigued Ace enough to wander over to the other side of the table, and he drops the conversation, not willing to dog Luffy into oversharing at that exact moment.

-

Ace is set under the kotatsu mid-morning the next day, a mug warming his hands, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes with minimal success. Luffy moves into the room and gives him a half-hearted wave on the way to the door. “Gonna check the mail,” he says, and Ace mutters something noncommittal in reply.

Luffy walks outside with his shoes halfway on and pauses a quarter down the driveway when he realizes it was Sabo’s car that was blocking the sunlight and making him shiver in the shade. Then that thought processes and he turns on his heels, mail forgotten.

Ace jerks his head up and jumps in his seat when the front door bangs open, Luffy running by without bothering to close it. “Sabo!” he yells, pausing only to catch himself on the back of the couch to keep from skidding over his heels and glance at the clock on the oven, in full view in the kitchen. His face pales considerably from Ace’s viewpoint, and he calls the blond’s name again, loudly, and takes off running into the hallway again.

Ace frowns, but doesn’t move to get up. He forces his hands to relax around the mug. He can hear Luffy yelling again soon enough.

“Sabo, you need to get _up_. It’s nine and you’re _late_!”

Ace’s brows crease.

He hears Sabo’s voice not long after that, devolving from tired to panicked in the matter of seconds it takes him to wake. There’s a _crash_ that has him glancing toward the open bedroom door and a harried mix of voices that has him decidedly turning away from it again. 

“Don’t think like that, dad’ll understand,” he hears Luffy say. “But you do need to hurry-”

“I _am_ hurrying!” Sabo snaps, and it goes deathly quiet.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-” he mutters, and Luffy cuts him off, voice oddly subdued. 

“I know. Here.”

Ace can’t make out their words after that. He’s left to wonder in silence until Sabo stumbles from the room, and then he becomes a quiet spectator as the blond flies around the kitchen and finally moves for the open door. He pauses just in Ace’s frame of view, pulling an empty hand from his coat pocket, and sighs as he turns back around. Luffy’s a couple paces away and quickly hands him a ring of keys, then turns him back around and shoves him toward the door. 

“Thanks,” Sabo mumbles, then they’re both outside and the door is shut and Ace slumps down to the floor, burrowing more under the kotatsu. He lies there until Luffy comes back inside, shivering, and works his wet socks off into a small heap on the faux-wood floor. He glances over to see Ace’s hair sprawled out on the carpet, the only visible body part of his while the rest lied spread under the table, and Ace blinks heavily as Luffy snorts and approaches. He moves around the corner, burying his cold feet into the carpet, until he’s more right-side-up than not, in Ace’s view. 

That’s when he finally remembers what he was going to say. “So he didn’t have another morning off.”

Luffy’s tentative amused smile disappears with a sigh. He huffs out a second time, trying to clear the hair from his eyes, and then swipes out with a hand when that didn’t work. “I thought he was long gone already.”

Ace squints as he tries to recall more of the conversation. “He works for Dragon?”

Luffy blinks. “In the day,” he says. He doesn’t say anything else.

Ace hums, then casts a glance out the window. “It’s snowing again.”

“Oh yeah.”

Luffy’s words have him looking back, though he can’t see well from his current position.

“I’m gonna be out today. I’m meeting up with Zoro and Usopp and everyone. Chopper had something to show us while it’s still snowing so much.”

“I’ll stay in today.” Ace says that before he quite knows what he’s saying, repeats it in his head, then nods when he finds he’s satisfied with it. 

Luffy shrugs. “Suit yourself. I’ll call you if something comes up.” He reaches for one of the mini oranges on the tabletop and starts to peel it, and they pass the rest of the morning like this, relaxed and content in the silence.

-

Ace had been faintly surprised to spend the majority of the day alone, actually. Luffy had been out for a while, and was apparently preoccupied, but not even Sabo came home between shifts. He wonders if that’s on purpose. A later phone call from Luffy assures him that it’s not.

“Me and Zoro are bringing lunch to Sabo. You wanna go get food after?”

He thinks on it, casts a glance out the window, and gives in when he finds the snow has stopped. “Sure.”

“Great! Vivi told me about this new place downtown last week, and-” Ace half-listens as Luffy rambles, mostly trying to take in the information he’d already acquired. It wasn’t really lunch at half past five, but if Sabo had stayed late at his first job and had to immediately go to his second, and hadn’t gotten the chance to eat yet, he supposes it would count as lunch. Ace frowns, noting the ease in which Luffy had explained the errand, and wonders how many times he’s had to do this already.

“Is Sabo late a lot?” he asks, cutting Luffy off mid-sentence. He’s met with a moment of silence, and then the dull hum of the car he’d been hearing in the background cuts off. 

“That’s-” Luffy stops. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

He hangs up before Ace can respond.

-

“Can you cut it up without nicking your fingers?”

Luffy whines in protest, letting the pork fall from his hands to the cutting board. He picks up the small knife and points it in Sabo’s direction. “One time, Sabo! That was one time!”

Sabo raises a brow, unperturbed, and goes back to shaping the dough. “My point still stands.”

“I’ll be fine,” Luffy assures him, already moving the knife through the pork. Behind them, the timer on the oven beeps, and he glances over his shoulder at it. “What’s that for?”

“The peppers.” Sabo sets aside another rounded piece and wipes his hands with a towel. “I let them strain, so now I just have to add the juice to the broth.” He turns around to do just that and Luffy goes back to his task.

“Can we make extra for later this week?” Luffy asks, once Sabo’s returned to the dough. Sabo makes a face down at the counter and shakes his head.

“That what the salmon’s for. Twenty dumplings, tops.” He sighs through his nose at Luffy’s whine. “That’s not helping your case.”

“Fine!” Luffy wails, dragging the word out. He pushes the cutting board over and gestures to the chopped meat. “Is this enough, then?”

“Should be.” Sabo glances over at Luffy’s hands, but he can’t see any blood, which is good. Luffy catches him looking and grins, tossing the knife into the sink.

“See? I was careful this time!”

Sabo shapes the last piece and doesn’t deem Luffy with a reply, reaching out to grab some of the pork instead. He wraps the dough around it and sets the first dumpling aside, already reaching for the next wrapper. “Why don’t you get all the vegetables out?”

Luffy nods and opens the fridge. “Can we eat at the kotatsu?”

“If you can plug the burner in over there.” Sabo shrugs. “It’s under the cabinet -no, the other one. If you unplug something, careful with the cord!”

He finishes plating the dumplings quickly enough and portions the salmon out, throwing a big piece into the simmering broth. Luffy is getting out dishes for all the vegetables as Sabo turns the heat up, taking the pot he cooked the peppers in in his other hand.

Luffy frowns when Sabo moves over to the sink and puts the pot under running water. “Why don’t you just do dishes later?”

Sabo casts him a look. “Will you help?”

Luffy shrugs, looking away. “Nevermind.”

“Me too. That wasn’t a question. You’re helping.” He ignores Luffy’s protests in favor of tossing the clams into the broth. In the main room, Luffy had managed to fit the portable stove onto the table. They set out plates of different ingredients around it, then after a little more time has passed, Sabo picks up the pot with the broth and brings it in.

“Where’s the sesame sauce?” Luffy calls. Sabo bends over to place the still-hot pot on the new burner. 

“Back of the fridge,” he calls back. “Bring the rice too?”

Luffy returns with the sauce and little bowls to portion it. “I set the rice on the counter. There’s not room here for it.”

Sabo shrugs. “Guess you’re right. That’s fine. As long as it thaws -it’ll heat better at room temp than it will cold.”

Luffy takes a seat and grins at the nabe, barely at a boil. “Think the fish is ready?”

“I think you should cook something else before you try it,” Sabo cautions him, taking his own seat. He puts a potato chunk into the broth and pulls out a wedge of chicken. “This should be done, though.”

Luffy lets a few dumplings boil and they sit back, talking about their day. Sabo had gotten off a little early from his day shift to find the house empty. Since he had the night off, he resorted to start on the dumpling dough and the nabe broth. Luffy had been out with Nami and Vivi, and had come in later with a carafe of cider that now sat on a corner of the kitchen counter. 

The door opening has Sabo breaking off mid-sentence. He turns around to see Ace moving into the room, eyeing their setup while one hand slipped a key ring back into his pocket. Sabo’s eyes narrow.

Behind him, Luffy doesn’t seem to notice. “Finally! Come eat with us.”

“Yeah sure,” Ace says, words easy. He moves to the hall, though, swinging his bag off his shoulders. “Just give me a minute.”

Once he’s out of sight, Sabo jerks his head back to face Luffy. “He has a key?” he mutters, voice low.

“I let him copy mine,” Luffy tells him. His eyes shine with ire. “He’ll be here all break. It’s better that he has one.”

Sabo huffs, but doesn’t protest. Ace joins them soon after that, and they dissolve into light conversation. From the outside, it looks like they’re all participating, but that’s not quite the truth. Sabo and Ace talk with Luffy, but never at each other. Eventually Sabo stops talking altogether, finishing up the last of the nabe while glancing down at his phone.

Once all the plates are cleared, he stands up to get the rice. Luffy turns the temp on the burner down and Sabo spoons in enough of the pre-cooked rice that it covered the remaining broth. 

The TV gets turned on at some point, so they all remain at the table even after the nabe pot is emptied and the stove turned off and tucked into the corner. Sabo puts his cheek to the wood and blinks at the mindless droning, letting his phone screen wink off as he tries to figure what was playing. Eventually, a tug at his sleeve has him glancing up. Luffy had scooted to his side of the table at some point. His expression was a little pinched, but mostly lax.

“Hey, why don’t you go lie down? Ace and I can take care of the dishes.” Sabo’s brows furrow, but Luffy continues before he can protest. “You look tired. Don’t force yourself to stay up, okay?”

Sabo blinks, takes a minute to let that thought turn. Finally, he sits up and nods, shuffling to his feet. He hears Luffy mumble something to Ace, but he doesn’t pay it mind, already moving toward the hall.

-

“-and then Sanji-” Luffy cuts himself off to stuff a handful of fries in his mouth. Ace watches him, head tipped in his head, with amusement. Before Luffy can start back up again, he chimes in.

“So you had a good day, then?”

“Yeah-!” Luffy gasps as he picks the last fry off his cleaned plate only to find their waiter setting down the kiwi cheesecake he’d ordered. Ace laughs into his free hand before taking a sip from his glass.

“I’m not sharing,” Luffy frowns over at him, already picking up a spoon. Ace waves him off.

“Yeah, go for it. I didn’t order any for a reason.” He squints. “Hey, did the lights get brighter?”

Luffy blinks, swallows his bite of cake, and hesitates before the next one. “No? You-” He nods towards Ace’s ale. “Maybe you’ve had enough.”

Oh. “Guess you’re right,” Ace mutters, moving the glass away. He squints again, a new thought dawning on him, and his lips downturn.

Luffy, noticing this, sets his spoon down and leans over the table. “Hey, you feeling okay?”

“Fine.” Ace waves him off. “I just realized, uh. We took the motorcycle here. I don’t think I can drive it back anymore.”

Luffy straightens up, eyes glowing. “I can-”

“I know for a fact you can’t drive a motorbike, Luf.” Ace huffs out a laugh at Luffy’s distraught expression. “Well, I’d be willing to let you try, but it’s Kidd’s bike, not mine. So no.”

“But I could-”

Ace waves him off. “Just call Sabo,” he mumbles.

Ace spends the rest of dinner a little lost in thought. It must do something to Luffy, because he offers Ace the last bite of cheesecake that he humbly accepts. His grin must not quirk up at the right angle, because when they exist the restaurant, Luffy steers them over to the first bench he can find.

“What’d he say?” Ace asks, wincing at his own hesitant tone. Luffy pulls out his phone and hums.

“Actually, he hasn’t answered.” He presses a button and holds the phone up to his ear. Sabo answers after three long rings.

_“Luffy? What’s wrong?”_

Luffy’s lips curve into a frown. “Did I wake you up? Sorry. I . .”

Ace tunes him out right about then, gazing across the street. He’s picking his own phone out of his pocket when Luffy hangs up and leans heavily on his shoulder.

“He’s on his way,” Luffy mumbles. Somehow, the words aren’t quite as reassuring as he thought they’d be.

It’s a weekend night, and the parking lot stays busy. Ace doesn’t pay attention to the next car that pulls in until Sabo steps out of it, and even then he turns his gaze from a blurry blond to Luffy trying to doze off on his shoulder. A shadow falling over him has him looking back up.

Sabo just looks tired. Not mad, or disappointed, or anything like what Ace had been expecting. He reaches out and nudges Luffy’s foot until he’s sitting up, hand on the spare helmet at his side.

“Come on. Let’s go,” Sabo says. He doesn’t say anything to Ace.

Luffy obviously wants him to, because he pushes Ace into the passenger seat before clambering into the back. Ace takes a deep breath and shuts the door, setting his own helmet in the floorboards. 

Sabo yawns into the back of his hand before turning the car on. The ride home is silent. 

When they make it back, Sabo turns the car off and Luffy slides out while he’s putting his keys away. Ace takes his chance. “Sorry,” he mutters, glancing at the blond. “And thanks.”

Sabo looks up, blinks at him. His expression doesn’t change. They hold gazes for a moment, and then Sabo’s opening the door without a word. Luffy repeats Ace’s words inside, and Sabo moves to ruffle his hair as he passes. He yawns into his free hand, again, waving goodnight with his other, and then the bedroom door is shut.

-

“We would have to be speaking to be in a fight.”

“Exactly!” Luffy near-shouts. “If you weren’t in a fight you would be _talking_ with each other. It’s so obvious that you are.”

“Fine.” Sabo huffs, leans back. “What of it?”

“Can’t you just apologize and move on already?”

 _“Apologize?”_ Sabo’s eyes narrow. “Me? Really. Me. _Why?”_

“You know Ace is too stubborn to ever-”

“ _I_ didn’t do anything wrong. Why does it even matter? It’s not like you know everything that happened.”

“I know enough, okay? Enough to realize you two really need to at least start talking again. This is ridiculous, Sabo. It’s been a year! If you can’t forgive him, can’t you at least move on?”

“What, like he has?” Sabo crosses his arms, huffs again. “No, I can’t. It’s _still_ affecting me, so-”

“What if he paid you back?”

Sabo’s mouth hangs open, left there from Luffy cutting him off and frozen from his words. He closes it sharply once he realizes. “Did he tell you that?” he says after a moment.

“No.” Luffy’s eyes are hard. “It’s just a question.”

“It still wouldn’t fix the prob-”

“Wouldn’t it, though?” Sabo frowns, but remains silent, a gesture for Luffy to continue. “If you got the money back, you’d have enough to go to school. You wouldn’t have to worry about two jobs. You might be able to pay off-” Sabo’s glare sharpens and Luffy, wisely, cuts himself off. “It would fix things.”

“You’re wrong. What’s the point if he doesn’t regret it?”

“Sabo-”

“Just drop it, Luffy.”

Luffy purses his lips. “Y’know, things would be a lot more fun if you two would just get along again.”

-

“I take back what I said!”

Ace glances back at Luffy, who’s grinning down at him. “About what?”

“You can totally drive this thing,” Luffy boasts, gesturing to the bike. Ace carefully grabs the flailing limb and wraps it back around his waist. “And this is so much fun! You think Kidd will let you have it?”

Ace laughs. “Do I think he likes the new bike? Yeah, sure. Do I think he’ll let me have this without paying for it? No way.” He shrugs around Luffy’s protests. “Not like I need it. Besides, I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Oh.” Luffy deflates a little, his conversation with Sabo coming back to him. Guess that answered that question. 

“Just enjoy it while it lasts-”

“Hey, Ace?”

Ace turns back at luffy’s uncharacteristic tone, but right at that moment, a street sign flashes past them. Luffy blinks, eyes turned away to read off it. “Wait, did that say there was ice-”

He doesn’t have time to finish before their tires slip. Luffy’s breath catches as Ace jerks his head forward again, trying to straighten out. They jerk further into the ice patch instead, and Luffy’s mouth opens in protest, but he doesn’t have time to shout before they’re tossed from the road into a deep snowbank.

It takes Luffy a moment to regain enough strength to breathe and find his mouth filling with snow instead. He kicks out into a panic until he bursts from the snow, gasping now, and leans back on his hands as a wave of vertigo spills over him. “Ace?” he mumbles.

“Shit,” Ace mutters, several feet away. Luffy finally raises onto his knees to see Ace’s dark form splayed out across the snow. Thankfully he wasn’t trapped under the upturned bike, but he did seem a little dazed. Luffy moves into a crawl until he’s at Ace’s side, prying the helmet off to reveal his mess of dark hair. Ace doesn’t wince at the movement, so Luffy assumes he’s good. The sizable dent in the helmet is probably to thank for it.

“Sorry, Luf,” Ace mumbles.

Luffy collapses beside him and waves away Ace’s sudden concerns. “‘s fine,” Luffy breathes. “We’re okay. That was pretty cool.”

“It’s not happening again.”

“Yeah, definitely. Is the bike okay?”

“I haven’t exactly gotten up to check.”

Luffy lets them have a couple more seconds before heaving himself up, offering Ace a hand next, and then they stumble in the snow until they’re righting the motorcycle, checking it over.

“Looks good,” Ace murmurs. He has Luffy help him move it back onto the road -thankfully empty at this point in the day- and it starts just fine. Ace sits back on the seat, breathes out a sigh.

“Let’s just go home.” Luffy nods and hands him back his helmet. Ace slips it on and Luffy climbs on after him.

“You sure you’re good?” Luffy asks. Ace glances back.

“Yeah. You?”

Luffy shrugs, as best he can while wrapped around Ace. “I think so. I just landed hard.”

Ace sighs -again. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

That doesn’t stop him from worrying about it.

That doesn’t stop someone else from worrying about them, either. Sabo sits up at the kitchen counter as Ace holds open the door for Luffy. They slip off their shoes, but their clothes are still soaked, something that doesn’t go unnoticed.

Ace slips his helmet under his arm and reaches out to help Luffy take his own off. 

“What happened?” Sabo asks.

“It’s nothing,” Ace mutters, finally sliding the helmet off. Thankfully, Luffy doesn’t show any signs of discomfort. He does stumble, though, on his way further into the house, and Sabo is out of his seat within a moment, hoisting Luffy up before he can crumple to the ground. He turns to Ace with a snarl.

“ _Nothing_. Of course.” His eyes drop to Ace’s helmet and widen. “Wh- Did you crash?!” 

Ace winces at the raised voice. Luffy tries to steady himself in Sabo’s arms. “We didn’t-”

“Stay out of this, Luffy,” Sabo growls. His gaze is still pinning Ace into place. After another long moment, Ace nods. Sabo pales. He turns away from Ace in an instant, hooking an arm under Luffy’s knees and hoisting him up. Luffy whines in protest but Sabo is careful not to jostle him under he’s lying on the couch. “Where does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t- _hurt_ ,” Luffy complains. “I just fell hard. My legs ache a little, but it’s not bad.”

Sabo presses his lips together, wanting to say so many things but wisely holding it in. He moves his hands through Luffy’s hair instead, checking for any bumps. 

“‘m fine, Sabo,” Luffy mumbles. “Seriously.”

“What happened?”

Ace finally unlodges himself from beside the front door. “We slipped on some ice. Crashed into a snowbank.”

Sabo’s head jerks over to him and Ace stops dead in his tracks at the blond’s glare. “I _wasn’t_ talking to you.”

Ace’s eyes narrow in challenge. “Well he certainly wasn’t gonna tell you.” He nods to Luffy, who tries to press himself further into the couch. “So-”

“I can’t _believe_ you,” Sabo half-yells, no longer willing to hold back. “Not _only_ did you make a stupid mistake, but _Luffy_ was with you. What if it hadn’t been snowing? What if you skidded into a car instead of off the road? Did you ever even _think_ of that?”

“We’re _okay_ , Sabo,” Ace snaps. “Just chill out.”

“Luffy’s obviously _not_ or he wouldn’t have collapsed like that-”

“It’s probably just the adrenaline wearing off. You know he’d say something if he was-”

“That’s not the point!”

“Will you _quit_ shouting at each other!” Luffy finally yells, throwing his arms up. Sabo rounds on him.

“Why? You’re the one that wanted us to talk, _right?”_

“I didn’t mean arguing, and over something as stupid as this!”

Sabo’s arm flails out. “There is a _dent_ in your helmet the size of my fist! It’s not _stupid,_ Luffy.” Luffy’s face pales at this, and Sabo’s expression softens just a little. “You didn’t know, did you? It’s on the back. I thought the angle was just odd until I saw how Ace’s was dented, too.”

Luffy’s lips purse as he moves a hand to feel the back of his head. “I’m okay,” he mutters, after a moment of digging through his hair, right where Sabo had been earlier.

Sabo’s shoulders slouch. “Just stay here. I’ll get you a towel.”

He stands and Luffy tries not to think about how much of a pain it was gonna be to clean the couch now that he’d gotten it all wet. Ace comes over as soon as Sabo’s not occupying the space and helps Luffy out of his jacket. Luffy’s frown deepens as he catches sight of Ace’s guilty expression.

“It’s okay.”

“I should’ve checked,” Ace protests. “You checked mine. I should’ve-”

Sabo comes back and _growls_ and Ace stumbles back. Luffy glares at Sabo but he pays it no mind, wrapping him in the towels and slipping a thicker one between him and the cushions. 

“Stay here for an hour. If you feel worse, let me know. If not, you can go ahead and shower.” he throws a look at Ace. “You can do that now. Stop dripping all over the floor.”

Ace, wisely, doesn’t say anything. He just pads over to the bathroom and shuts the door.

“It was an accident-” Luffy tries.

“Doesn’t matter,” Sabo says firmly. He retrieves his phone from the counter and settles at the kotatsu, on the end near the couch. “One hour. Let me know.”

“At least turn on the TV,” Luffy mumbles. In the background, the shower turns on. Sabo hands him the remote.

Eventually, Luffy starts shivering, despite the coverings, and Sabo takes pity on him. Luffy sits up and Sabo helps him unwrap from the towels and come to a stand. Luffy shrugs him off and walks in a circle, demonstrating his steadiness, and then hurries into the bath Sabo had drawn earlier. 

Sabo collapses under a corner of the kotatsu, scrolling through his phone until he reaches Law’s number. He bites on his lip. The both of them really should get checked out, but Law charged a fortune, even if it was nothing compared to what a hospital would. Plus, they seemed fine. At the very least, Luffy hadn’t acted strange despite the initial collapse.

“Sorry,” Ace mutters, and Sabo jumps, startled. His leg bangs against one of the table’s, and he curls in on himself in pain. When he rights his head, squinting, he finds Ace is hovering next to him on the couch. He lifts his eyes to meet grey ones, regret evident in their depths, and them looks away again. He’d dropped his phone. He swipes at it, but Ace speaks again, before he can do anything else.

“You don’t need to call Law. We’re both fine. Promise.”

Sabo turns to stare at him again. Ace has a hard time holding his gaze.

“We landed deep. The snow’s been pretty thick, so we were honestly lucky. The bike’s good, too. Whatever we hit, the helmets took the full brunt.” He curves his shoulders in. “Sorry I wasn’t being more careful.”

Sabo’s gaze moves to the bathroom door, where splashing can be heard from Luffy picking himself up from the water. “It’s not me you should be apologizing to,” he mutters. Then he buries his face under the blanket and goes back to ignoring Ace.

-

Sabo doesn’t realize he’s fallen asleep until Luffy’s saying his name, and he notices that he can’t hear the movie playing in the background.

He blinks, disgruntled, and lifts his head from his arms. The movie is paused on the TV. Luffy is looking at him oddly. “It’s too hot in here,” he mutters, because he’s tired and not thinking straight.

Luffy’s brows raise, and in the next moment he’s on his feet, dragging the blanket a little away from Sabo with the motion. “I’ll go turn the air down,” he says, already moving towards the dial. 

On the far side of the couch, Ace sits up fully. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he snaps. Sabo’s expresion sours, and he tips his head to find Ace glaring at him. “Why would it matter if it’s hot?”

“I have narcolepsy,” Sabo says, before he can think of something better to say, or put a filter in place, because he’s still tired. He finds, after a moment, that he really doesn’t care anymore. “It’s easier to stay awake when it’s cold.”

He turns away with a yawn, missing Ace’s expression. Luffy comes back in and settles near Sabo, looking a little hesitant. He gives Sabo a look and Sabo just shrugs, blinking heavily.

“That’s why he’s always oversleeping,” Luffy tells Ace. Sabo frowns. “And why I’m used to dealing with it.

He frowns deeper. “Hey-”

“Since when?” Ace asks.

Luffy shrugs. “The summer?” Sabo huffs and leans against Luffy’s shoulder. “That’s when he got tested. That’s also why money’s tight. Paying for insurance, and then what insurance wouldn’t cover for the tests and the medicine. It adds up.”

He tries again. “ _Hey_ -”

“That’s why he’s always asleep when he’s not at work. And why he panicked that one time, because he’s overslept and shown up late dozens of times before, even though I tell him dad knows and understands about it all.”

“ _Luffy-_ ”

“What? You don’t wanna talk, right? So let me do it.”

Sabo realizes, then, that Luffy was giving him an out. He settles back down.

“That’s why I don’t mind if the house is so cold, even if it is snowing, because it’s better than Sabo getting tired all the time and screwing up his timetable. It’s why I offer to bring him food and wake him up and _look after him_ , as much as he does for me.”

Luffy pauses to breathe and Sabo feels his cheeks go warm. Ace’s voice fills the silence.

“I see.”

He doesn’t say anything else.

Sabo’s lip worries. He still refuses to look away from the TV, refuses to face anywhere but forward, cheek pressed to Luffy’s shoulderblade.

“Thank you, for telling me.” Ace shifts. “Both of you.”

Luffy’s head tops back, and that’s Sabo’s clue in to know they’re both looking at him, waiting for a reply. He closes his eyes. “Let’s just-” He pauses to breathe. “-finish the movie, okay?”

Luffy shifts to face forward again and Sabo slouches back against the couch. The sound comes back on after another moment, but he’s not paying attention anymore.

-

 _“What?”_ Ace looks up, a little scandalized, from his breakfast. “Repeat that,” he demands.

“Sabo’s sick.” Luffy tosses a wool scarf around his neck. “I’m busy today, so you look after him.” He works on the buttons to his coat as Ace sputters.

“How about- Uh, _no-_ I mean-”

“It’s not like you have anything better to do.” Luffy shrugs, moving to the door. “So just do it.”

“Lu-!” The front door shuts before he can get the name out. Ace sighs, slouching.

-

Ace had gone for a run before the sun was up, so he actually wasn’t aware that Sabo hadn’t left the house yet.

Peeking into the dark room, he can now clearly see Sabo’s form buried under a thick blanket. Probably from Luffy’s room, if he had to guess.

He pads in a good few steps then turns on his heel and moves back out, because from the sound of it Sabo was fast asleep and not just hiding from him.

He comes back in when the sun has risen and there’s a distinctive noise on the other side of the door. Sabo’s arm is over the side of the bed, poking around the floor for his phone, which laid just out of reach. Ace slips the door open further with a sigh and picks up the phone himself, laying it beside Sabo’s shoulder.

Sabo freezes when Ace moves back, then snatches up and throws the blanket further over his face. Ace stands there for a long moment, waiting.

“You’re welcome,” he tries.

Sabo doesn’t respond.

Ace crosses his arms, then uncrosses them to jerk the shades from the window. Sabo groans, burying further underneath the covers. Ace sighs and sits down on the floor, now with enough light to see by.

“How are you feeling?”

“Wouldn’t _you_ like to know,” Sabo mumbles, the words somehow audible from under the blanket. Ace tries not to take it to heart.

“Alright, so bad. So? ‘Peppermint tea’ bad? Honey lemon? Is it your throat at all?”

Sabo moves the blanket down until his eyes are peering out of its folds. “Why do you care?”

“Luffy sent me to take care of you for the day.”

Sabo holds his gaze for a long moment before dropping it to the floor. “I just have a cold,” he mutters. “I’ll be fine.”

“Peppermint, then.”

Sabo sighs. “Sure.”

It takes a trip to the store and a full hour before Ace brings in a cup of steaming tea. Sabo is set up at this point, barely, and accepts the drink after a moment. Ace, carefully, drops to a seat on the edge of the bed. Sabo sips gingerly from the mug before wrapping both hands around it and leaning back.

“Thanks,” he mutters, eyes downcast. Ace wonders if he would argue, had he had the energy for it. He decides not to test it.

“Anything else I can get you?”

“A book.” Sabo uncups one hand from the tea to wave the air. “I can’t read off my phone. The screen’s too bright.”

Ace nods, looks around the room, then moves off the bed to settle before a small bookshelf. “Does it matter which one?”

“Not really.”

Sabo’s lips quirk into a sort of grimace, like he was trying to maybe smile but didn’t want to put in the effort. He takes another sip of the tea then trades it for the book. Ace sets the mug down on the nightstand. “Thanks.”

Ace decides not to mention that Sabo had already thanked him. His eyes were looking a little glassy.

“Did you call in?” Ace asks, after he’s determined that Sabo’s not going to open the book just yet. His eyes had actually slipped shut, like it was painful for them to be open. 

“Yeah,” Sabo mumbles. “Caught it from someone there, so they were understanding.”

“Do you want any medicine?”

His eyes open to half-mast. “What time is it?”

“Little after ten, I guess?”

“No. Luffy gave me some earlier. ‘s too early.”

“Okay.” Ace stands, then pauses. “I’ll, um. I’ll make you something to eat.”

Sabo flips the book open instead of replying. Not that Ace minds. Luffy was right -it wasn’t like he had anything better to do.

-

When Ace comes back in, a bowl of sorta-soup in his hands, he finds Sabo asleep with the book open against his chest. It didn’t look like he’d gotten far.

Ace sets the bowl down on the nightstand and picks up the book, marking it before closing it. He places it where the tea was, then moves from the room with the mug in his hands.

After warming the tea back up, he comes back to see Sabo set up, drawn awake by the smell of the food. He sits up a little more, but not enough to eat by himself. Ace grimaces at the thought.

He sets the tea down and kneels by the bed. Sabo turns to look at him.

“You wanna scoot up more?” Sabo shakes his head. Ace sighs. “What, you want me to feed you, then?”

“Guess so.” Sabo grunts. Ace squints.

“Fine.” He sits on the edge of the bed, making Sabo squirm until there was enough room. Ace lets out a quiet huff and picks up the bowl. “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”

One of Sabo’s brows raises. He opens his mouth and Ace dutifully slides the spoon in. “I can’t believe you agreed,” he mumbles.

Ace shrugs. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this. I can barely remember when you last got sick. We were probably just in high school.”

“Summer before, I think,” Sabo muses. He swallows another bite and then sighs. “You fed me like this back then, too.”

“Yeah?” Ace pauses. “Is that why you’re letting me now?”

“Maybe I’m taking advantage of you,” Sabo counters, but it’s weak and punctuated by a strangled cough. Ace recoils by the end of it, setting the bowl down in favor of the reheated tea.

“I don’t think so.” He shrugs again, when met with Sabo’s halfhearted glare, and offers the tea. 

“I’m not used to being sick.”

“I know.”

Sabo closes his eyes. “Can I just -sleep?”

“Sure.” Ace moves away from the bed, trying not to think on how this is the first real conversation they’ve had, since he got back. “I’ll check back in in a little bit.”

Sabo hums, already halfway asleep. Ace is careful to shut the door quietly.

-

A week after they graduate high school, Sabo and Ace pile into a car with four day’s worth of luggage and prepare to make the trip down to their childhood home.

Maybe childhood was stressing it. Sure, they’d spent the first several years of their lives living in that particular town, but they’d spent the next few growing up where they lived now. Also, it was only home in sentiment. The actual building had burned down years before. 

Luffy waves one more time from the driveway as they pull away. He doesn’t say ‘say hi to Dadan for me’ because the woman had died before they’d even moved. Perhaps that had been the reason, actually. It’d been so long Sabo was starting to forget.

Since it was a ten hour drive and the only person they’d had any sort of meaningful connection to was dead, Ace had called up a very, very old friend whose name Sabo wasn’t privy to, and had begged off a few days’ stay from them. For free, thankfully, because Ace only had so much money to spend of the trip, and Sabo even less so, a large majority of his savings set aside for tuition for the upcoming semester.

“Yes, yes, I know,” Ace groans. “You mention it every chance you get.” He takes one hand off the steering wheel to jab a finger in Sabo’s direction. “You’re lucky I didn’t decide to go to school, or most of that money would be mine.”

“Bullshit,” Sabo retorts, lifting his head to say it. He squints down at his phone in the next moment, watching the dot slide across the map. “Where are we going, by the way?”

“Oh, that.” Ace laughs nervously and Sabo glances up again. “If I’m gonna see Fai, I need a drink first.” Sabo raises a brow, unimpressed. Ace flaps a hand at him. “Don’t look at me like that. She’s a lot to deal with. You’ll understand when you meet her.”

They pass the city limits sign and Sabo settles in his seat. “Fine. Do I need to drive the rest of the way?”

Ace turns to eye him carefully as they pull up to a red light. He does this until Sabo finally looks at him back. “I’m not getting _that_ wasted. I just need something to take the edge off.”

Sabo turns back with a hum, rolling his eyes. “I’ll hold you to that.”

In hindsight, he supposed he should’ve placed the bar based on location. Even if the name had changed, and most of the exterior. He doesn’t realize _where_ they are until they’re already inside, and it’s only because everything is like he remembered, even in the face of all that had changed.

Sabo stiffens and Ace glances back. “What?”

He loosens himself immediately, to the best he’s able. “It’s nothing.” He shakes off Ace’s persistent gaze. “Nothing. Promise.”

That proves to break easily enough, because the girl stationed behind the counter recognizes him easily enough. “Sabo,” she calls, surprised. Ace spins on his heel, eyes narrowing. Sabo sighs.

“I . . used to work here. That’s it.”

Sabo stalks past him, not leaving any room for questioning, so Ace shrugs and follows, watching him stumble through an awkward conversation with the bartender before saving them both from each other by ordering. She casts him a thankful glance and moves away, grabbing a glass as she goes. 

Unfortunately, she’s not the only one that remembers Sabo.

Just as Ace is taking his first sip, a cacophony of noise erupts from the back. “Oi, look, blondie’s back!” a voice shouts above the rest. Ace would elect to ignore it, considering the bartender was a blonde as well, but the way Sabo’s shoulders tense up has him reconsidering. 

He takes out his phone instead of looking to Ace, but shifts a little so he’s leant closer in his seat. Ace goes back to his drink. A blubbering of footsteps and a concerned glance from the bartender has him looking up again, but he doesn’t turn around.

Sabo happens to make that mistake, peering around as someone approaches them, and blinking as the person spins on their heels and heads back to an occupied table. “Yeah, he still has the scar!” he half-shouts, and Sabo flinches, grip going tight on his phone.

“Hey blondie, where ya been? It’s been too long!”

“Yeah, we really missed our old scapegoat.”

“Come back to hang out more?”

Sabo’s shoulders hunch and the air becomes increasingly more uncomfortable. After another one of the catcalls, Ace breathes out through his nose and slams his glass down on the counter, duly fed up. A grip on his arm is the only thing keeping him from leaving his seat. He turns to find Sabo’s eyes on him.

“Don’t,” he says, words terse. Ace’s eyes narrow, but Sabo presses on. “Seriously. It’s okay.” He gestures to the glass. “Finish your drink.”

“Ya know, I really didn’t miss the scar, blondie,” comes a particularly inane shout. Sabo’s lips purse, and his gaze drops. 

“Let’s just leave,” he mutters.

Ace’s eyes slit, and he can feel his veins threatening to pop, but he complies. He drains the glass and tosses a crumpled bill on the counter, and Sabo finally pulls him to a stand, still holding onto his arm.

“What’s this, ya got a boyfriend now?”

Sabo grits his teeth but his grip on Ace only tightens, fearing what would happen if he let go. “Ignore them.”

“Kinda hard to do that,” Ace mutters, tossing a glare over his shoulder. It doesn’t do much good.

The calls continue until they’re at the door, and Sabo feels Ace’s arm tense in his grip as one of the men called out about coming back to see them. Ace whirls around and Sabo moves a hand to his shoulder, holding tight.

“Ace, really,” he begs. “It’s _fine_. I promise. Let’s just go. _Please_.”

It takes a few seconds, but Ace nods, turning in Sabo’s grip. There’s still fire in his eyes, but he’s not doing anything, so that’s good.

Sabo breathes out a sigh of relief, and then the door opens behind them. He glances over his shoulder, pales, and then suddenly he’s being spun around, an arm tight around his back. 

“Hey, look!” The guy holding Sabo uses his other hand to wave at the others. “Scar-face is back!”

Sabo opens his mouth, prepared to unlatch himself and make for the door, when he suddenly finds himself free. The guy is on the floor, clutching his jaw, and Sabo’s eyes grow wide when he realizes Ace was in front of him, fist raised and red. 

The bar bursts into chaos after that.

-

Sabo sits with his legs curled against the steering wheel and his head against his knees. He waits until the last of the police sirens fades into the distance and then waits a little longer to finally turn his phone back on. He has to reach past his copy of the car keys to do so, and his hand jumps as it brushes the cool metal.

He’s not surprised to see an abundance of missed calls from Luffy. Responding to his text earlier, asking if they had made it yet, with _ace is probably in jail_ was bound to be concerning, at the least. As he thinks on this, his phone starts ringing, and he wastes no time in answering.

_“Sabo! What happened?”_

Luffy’s voice is loud, but Sabo supposes he can excuse that. Circumstances, and all.

“I- uh.” He pauses, swallows thick. “Ace . . got into a bar fight.”

_“Was it bad?”_

Sabo shrugs, despite the fact that Luffy couldn’t see it. “I guess. He was one of the first loaded up.”

 _“That’s_ insane. _Do you know where he is? What are you gonna do?”_

“I-” Sabo cuts off with a sigh. He scrubs a hand through his hair. “The sun isn’t even out anymore. They probably won’t process him until morning.” He frowns. “I don’t know where his friend lives, either.”

_“You don’t have their number?”_

“No.” He sighs again. “I’ll just- stay at a hotel, I guess. I should probably go.” His legs are numb, so there was no pressing need to hurry. Not like he could drive anyway. But his tongue felt heavy in his mouth, and he didn’t want to hear Luffy anymore, so he hurries to hang up and throws his phone in the passenger seat.

He sits curled up in the parking lot for a long time.

-

“Name?”

Sabo’s face does a strange contortion that he blames on the lack of sleep. The secretary has no sympathy for him, pen tapping mercilessly on the side of the registry. Sabo sighs. “Portgas.”

He spells it out for her and watches her flip through the pages, then turn to type it into a computer instead. The monitor is faced away from him, but he sees the glow on her glasses. She must find when she’s looking for, because she stops scrolling after a moment, lips pressed into a frown.

Sabo doesn’t like what she tells him.

He sees Ace not long after, though it’s in a blank room with a glass panel separating them. Ace doesn’t look like he got much sleep either. Sabo rubs a hand down his face as he tries to process that, then gives up and lets it drop into his lap instead.

They have a brief conversation. “Did they post bail?” is the riveting conclusion, on Sabo’s part, because Ace’s face suddenly closes off. It takes him a while to nod out a yes. It takes him more time to admit what it was.

Sabo’s hands grip tight onto the plastic armrests of the chair. “How much?” he chokes out.

Ace repeats the number. Sabo stands up, knocking the chair back but not with enough force to topple it over. Not that it mattered -his action still shakes Ace, evident by the look on his face.

Sabo leaves. He sits in the car for a long time before going back to the hotel, and even then he doesn’t leave the parking lot. The sun is setting when he reaches for his phone and searches the map for the nearest ATM. 

-

On the last week in winter break, Luffy tells Sabo and Ace, separately, that they were all going to a fireworks show for New Years. Luffy was riding with Zoro, so that left the other two to arrive through some other means.

Then Luffy leaves and they’re in the house alone. Together.

Ace knocks lightly on Sabo’s door before pushing it open, finding the blond fiddling with his shirt buttons, sat down on the edge of his bed. He looks up when Ace pushes the rest of the way into the room.

“We really need to sort this out.”

Sabo’s tentative gaze immediately breaks off -he finds the far wall much more interesting, turning forward with a jerk of his head. “Are you finally going to apologize?”

“I’m not saying sorry for fighting those guys.” He waits until Sabo’s eyes are back on him, though the glare is a little much. “I’m not apologizing for something I don’t regret. Not like you do.”

Sabo’s expression changes, anger fading a little, bemusement mixed in. “Regret?”

“Yeah.” Ace has never voiced it, but here he is, about to. His tongue feels like lead in his mouth. “Regret bailing me out. Don’t act like you don’t. You used all your university funds on me.”

“Is that what you think?”

“It’s what I know.” He can’t stand to look at Sabo anymore.

“Well, you’re wrong.”

This time, it’s Sabo who waits for Ace to look back up. “You’re wrong. Was it a lot? Yeah. Did I have to think about it? _Yes_. But would I do it again? Absolutely. You’re my brother, Ace. I would do _anything_ for you.”

“Then- Then why are you so _mad?”_

“Because you acted like it was such a bother.” Sabo’s face twists. “You never said sorry, or thanks. You acted like it was the worst decision I could’ve possibly made. Like I was making a mistake. Like keeping you out of jail was a _mistake_.”

“Yeah? Look what good it did you! You’re still sitting on less than you need for tuition, and now you’re forking most of it out for medical bills.”

“Are you saying I should’ve left you in there?” Sabo’s eyes are piercing. 

“Maybe.”

“No.” Sabo shakes his head. “ _No_ , Ace. Look, if you hadn’t picked a fight in the first place-”

“ _I_ picked a fight?”

“We were almost out the door.”

Ace crosses his arms. “I’d do it again.”

“Yeah? So would I. That’s exactly how I feel. Knowing you appreciated it even a little bit would be nice. I sacrificed a lot for you, you’re right, but I got so mad because you didn’t seem to care at all.”

“That’s . .” Ace hesitates, slowly drops his arms. “That’s not true.”

“You sure haven’t _acted_ like it.”

“It bothered me. A lot. Maybe I needed time to blow off steam. Not . . that you made it easy. A year is a lot.”

Sabo’s brow furrows. “Well-”

“Wait.” Ace holds up a hand. “I _do_ care. I wasn’t-” He sighs, scrubs a hand through his hair. “Okay, look. I wasn’t going to give you this, but-” He cuts himself off again to cross the room. Sabo watches as he digs through his backpack until he pulls out a white slip. He crosses over and presents it to Sabo. “Here.”

Sabo takes it, a little dubious. “What is it?” he mutters, already folding the seal up. He bends it to look inside and freezes. 

“It’s not a lot,” Ace admits. Sabo slowly pries the slip open further, slipping two fingers inside. “It’s not even half, I know. It’s only around twenty thousand.”

“Onl-” Sabo cuts himself off, harsh, and finally takes the stack of money out.

“I care,” Ace says, voice softer. “I’ve been earning it back. It’s been slow. I’m sorry it couldn’t be faster. This is what I have so far.” He inhales, deep. “Please take it.”

Sabo nods, just barely, and slowly slips all the money back inside. 

Ace inhales, again. “And. Please say we’re okay.” He looks down to find Sabo’s eyes on him, and holds the gaze steady. “That we’ll _be_ okay, at least. I really wanna watch the fireworks with both of my brothers, tonight.”

He’s a little surprised when Sabo throws the money down to jump to his feet, arms around Ace in an instant, but he tries not to let it show. It doesn’t take long to return the hug and realize all the implications it carried.

Sabo’s hair smells like citrus, just like he’s always remembered.

“Yeah,” Sabo mumbles. “We’ll be okay. I- _thank you_.”

“Right back at you.” 

-

Luffy texts them to inform them they were twenty minutes late to the fireworks show, but since it was known to last for over an hour, it didn’t hold much weight. He eventually gets over his ire when they show up, together, smiling and talking and _being nice_.

It’s the best New Years they’ve spent as a trio in a long, long time.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @cheswirls !! 
> 
> this is the end of my radio silence to expect several updates over the next couple weeks. no i am not quarantined and yes i still have uni, i actually have one class that still meets rl so.... oof. point being, i'm not suddenly free and with nothing to do, so if all the major updates take throughout april to get up.. sorry ig ighweg hope you enjoyed this ill see you soon


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